


Texas Hold 'Em

by BriMac0518



Series: Requests [18]
Category: Andromeda Six (Visual Novel)
Genre: Fluff, Other, Poker, Smut, Strip Poker, non-binary traveler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriMac0518/pseuds/BriMac0518
Summary: Of course Bash would suggest strip poker. Because Bash.
Relationships: Sebastian Ilahaj/Traveler
Series: Requests [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986547
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Texas Hold 'Em

**Author's Note:**

  * For [turquoiseoverthesea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/turquoiseoverthesea/gifts).



> For turquoiseoverthesea featuring their OC Andy. Thank you so much for choosing me!
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: Do not repost my work anywhere. I do not give my permission.

Andy wasn’t quite sure how they ended up as they had, but really, with Bash, anything was possible.

Andy was Tilaari, so they’d never really had cause to learn how to play poker. That was until Bash took it upon himself to teach them. After Andy finally gave in due to weeks of cajoling on Bash’s part, the lessons had begun. Keeping all the various hands as well as which hand beat what straight was confusing as all get out. Thankfully, Bash was a patient teacher not to mention one that was easy on the eyes.

They found it easy to be in Bash’s company and had harbored a crush on the human for longer than they cared to admit. So taking time to be taught by him really was no hardship on Andy’s part. Andy had lost count of how many times they’d lost track of time completely because they were too busy looking at Bash. Studying the lines of his face, the intricate patterns of his tattoos where they were visible and the way man melded with machine so seamlessly. Bash wasn’t hindered by his eye or his arm. If anything, he was enhanced. Andy didn’t mind them one bit.

Andy could listen to Bash talk for hours. A fact that Bash seemed to enjoy immensely. So Bash went on and on about the game of poker, making certain to explain everything he could. Andy got so much information that it felt as if their head was spinning trying to keep track of it all. Practicing helped. Andy was not a very good poker player despite Bash’s teachings, but they did their best. They had yet to beat him, however. Bash never gloated at least. For that, Andy was thankful.

They took the time to play a few games every week. The pair never actually played for anything. Just for fun really. Which worked for Andy since they didn’t really have anything to bet anyway. Sure, they’d collected a few personal possessions during their time on the Andromeda Six, but nothing really worth any value save the music box they’d been given. That was definitely not something Andy was willing to part with at all.

So they played for fun and Bash gave helpful tips as well as reminders along the way. Andy still never won, but they did their best. It was readily apparent, however, that Andy’s main problem was a complete lack of a decent poker face. Bash had pointed it out more than once, inevitably causing a blush to spread across the Tilaari’s skin as a result. The poker face definitely needed work which is where the weekly practice sessions came in handy. 

One such evening found Bash and Andy in Andy’s quarters, seated in two chairs with a small table between them. Andy was the dealer and handed out cards to both Bash as well as themselves. They still weren’t betting anything and Andy’s lips curled into a little grin as they pulled their hand of cards closer to lift them and take a look at what they had to work with.

“I’m so glad we never bet anything in these games. I’d be destitute at this point,” they joked, idly running a hand over their tattooed forearm as they looked at their cards. They had to remind themselves not to react, seeing that they had the potential for a winning hand if they drew the right cards and managed to get luckier than Bash was.

Bash chuckled, looking over his own cards. “Well, I mean, we could if you really wanted to.”

The comment had them arching a brow curiously in Bash’s direction. “We can’t since I have nothing to bet.”

“Sure you do. You’ve got the clothes on your back.” A wicked grin spread across his face and Andy’s eyes widened.

“Wait, what?” A flush was spreading over their cheeks. They could just feel it.

“There’s one version of poker that I haven’t taught you yet, pupil of mine,” he replied, putting his cards down on the table face down so he could lean forward a bit, as if Bash were imparting one of the great secrets of the universe rather than just telling Andy about a new way to play a card game.

“What version is that?” Andy had a feeling they’d probably regret asking as soon as the words left their mouth, but it was too late to take them back. That wicked gleam in Bash’s gaze made them a bit nervous. Yet from the way their heartbeat picked up, it was clear that it also made them a bit excited.

“Strip poker.” The grin widened on Bash’s lips, a flash of white teeth visible as he did so.

“Strip…poker?” Andy felt their brain screeching to a halt. Had Bash really said what they just thought that he did?

“Yep. Poker. Where we strip. Well, if we lose that is.” The waggle of his eyebrows almost made Andy laugh, but they couldn’t get past the words “strip” and “poker” strung together in the same sentence. Seeing the fact that Andy was a bit stuck on the phrasing, Bash turned rather serious, again catching Andy off guard.

“Only if you want to. You know I’m not going to try to force you to do anything that you don’t want to do,” he insisted. The words warmed Andy’s heart, the reassurance welcome. It wasn’t that Andy considered themselves a delicate flower with a virginal demeanor. Not by any means. They just hadn’t expected any of this. It wasn’t that they were against the idea either. The concept of getting to see Bash lose layer after layer of clothing was one that Andy could definitely get behind. The only problem was that Andy couldn’t seem to win at poker to save their lives.

The concept of ending up stark naked while Bash was completely clothed thanks to winning every round he played with Andy wasn’t quite so appealing as the alternative. Yet Andy couldn’t help wondering where things could go once the clothes started hitting the floor. Their mind was only too happy to consider each and every possibility. Enough that they’d neglected to reply to Bash who was looking even more concerned as each moment that was filled with silence passed.

“Hey, look, I was just playing around, Andy. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything,” he started to say, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he regarded them.

“I’m in.” The words felt as if they were being uttered by someone else. Andy heard them vaguely, but paid more attention to the way Bash’s eyes became huge with shock. Apparently he’d never expected them to agree at all to such a suggestion. That made two of them really.

“You…wait, what?” Bash was normally good with words, but part of Andy was pleased to see the way he flushed. Yet another thing in a long list of things that made him Bash adorable.

“I’m in,” Andy repeated, speaking with more confidence than they actually felt. 

Bash studied them for a long moment, silent and serious. Andy could only assume that they’d managed to convey that false confidence in their expression because Bash finally nodded in acceptance. “All right. Strip poker it is. Let’s do this, kid.”

Andy felt a little better when Bash’s trademark mischievous grin returned, but that didn’t stop the way their heart was racing within their chest. Thankfully the glow of their skin hadn’t faltered. “All right,” they echoed Bash’s words.

So that was how Andy found themselves playing a high stakes game of strip poker with the object of their affection. Andy didn’t mean to be a tease, but each time they lost, they ended up with one less article of clothing that was discarded into a small pile on the floor. They were careful about what they removed. Shoes first, one at a time, then socks. Andy was grateful they’d chosen to wear multiple layers.

An hour into their game, it seemed as if Bash was going to come out on top. Andy had lost their socks and shoes plus their over shirt and belt. Bash had only lost a shoe. He looked quite smug and confident where he sat, laying out another winning hand. Andy bit back a sigh, glancing down at themselves as their undershirt went next. That left them in their binder and pants plus their underwear. Not much left to go.

“Congrats,” Andy told him, a rueful little smile on their lips in light of Bash’s triumphant look.

“Thank you, thank you. You doing okay? We’re kinda getting into racier territory here. If you want to stop, you just have to say so.” Even as he spoke, though, it seemed like he couldn’t stop himself from having a look at them where they sat shirtless in the chair across from him.

His constant reassurance was nice. Each time Bash expressed concern for their comfort level, they relaxed a little more. Andy was grateful. So grateful. He was so considerate and kind. Andy felt themselves falling for him more and more as the days passed and instances like this didn’t help matters. It just made them fall harder still.

“I’m fine, I promise.” Andy paired the assurance with a genuine smile that they were happy to see Bash return. His smile was one of their favorite things in the world. 

“Okay. So, you want another round?” Bash pulled all the cards toward him, straightening and organizing them so they were all facing the right way before beginning to shuffle them.

Andy nodded, shifting a bit in their chair to get more comfortable as Bash began dealing the cards. They noticed the way his gaze strayed over the tattoos on their forearms, the black geometric ink trailing across their flesh in direct contrast to their skin tone. As they lifted their cards to see the hand that they’d been dealt, they caught his eyes following their movements rather than looking at his own cards in front of him on the table. They were still lying there face down, waiting for him to pick them up.

They repressed the urge to shiver as Bash kept looking at them, but it seemed at last he caught himself staring and cleared his throat, quickly picking up the five cards he’d dealt himself. He made a point of staring at them intently and Andy felt one corner of their mouth curl upward in a little smile as they looked at their hand.

It was possible, if Andy got lucky, for them to have a royal flush if they, by some miracle, happened to get the king of spades. The chances were remote, they knew, but stranger things had happened, hadn’t they? Andy considered for a moment before discarding the one card they didn’t need. “One please.”

“Here you go.” Bash gave them another card, sliding it face down across the table to them. Then he dealt himself two more cards, his face giving away nothing at all. One thing Andy could take away from all of this was the fact that Bash had an excellent poker face. It was impossible to read him.

Andy lifted their new card and almost dropped it once they got a good look at the face of it. King of spades. It was a massive struggle not to react aside from that little fumble that they prayed they could pass off as just a bit of clumsiness on their part. They slipped the cards in with the others they were holding, their heart beginning to race in their chest. Trying to stop their natural glow from brightening was also a challenge, but somehow, Andy managed.

“You ready?” Bash arched a dark brow, looking at Andy over the edge of his cards, his golden eye glowing steadily. 

They took in a slow, steady breath and exhaled slowly, keeping their facial expression impassive to the best of their ability, and nodded. “Ready.” They were quite proud that their voice didn’t waver with their excitement.

“Okay. I’ll go first then.” He laid out his cards one by one. Three jacks and two queens. “Full house.”

“Damn,” Andy sighed, watching Bash closely even as they pretended to lose. Their excitement increased tenfold as they revealed their hand just as Bash did. One card at a time was laid out on the table in front of Andy, first with the ten, then the jack, the queen, the king and finally the ace of spades. With each card, Bash’s eyes got wider and wider until finally, all five were visible. “Guess I win.”

“Holy shit! Are you fucking kidding me?!” Bash looked astounded, but Andy was pleased to see the pride also visible as he grinned. “I have never once seen someone play that hand. That’s fucking amazing! Looks like the student has surpassed the teacher. Well done, kid.”

Andy was beaming from the praise as well as Bash’s excitement. “Thanks. I’m stunned honestly. I never thought I’d get that king.”

“Well, you definitely won fair and square. I’ll even give you a bigger piece of clothing instead of my shoe.” Bash was still grinning as he rose to his feet, his chair pushed back slightly. His hands went to the hemline of his stained white tank top, one of the ones he usually wore when working in the engine room. The garment was lifted over his head and just as quickly tossed aside to land on Bash’s shoe.

It was Andy’s turn to stare. The expanse of his chest was the first thing their eyes landed on once the shirt was gone, drawn to the tattoos that covered his upper body. Their gaze trailed over the lines of them, intricate and striking where they covered him. Further speech fled their mind and their mouth went dry. Bash didn’t fail to notice their attention.

“Like what you see?” He was Bash. He couldn’t resist flirting. It was impossible. His words drew Andy’s gaze upward to meet his face. He was blushing faintly, but didn’t look embarrassed to know Andy had been staring at him.

Andy’s head dipped once in a nod. For some reason that winning hand made them feel braver. Bolder. They most definitely liked what they saw and wanted Bash to know just that. Not only that, but Andy wanted to see more.

Cards forgotten, Bash moved slowly around the table, fingers trailing over the surface as he approached Andy. “Yeah? You want to see more?”

Again, Andy nodded as they shifted in their chair to face Bash fully when he stopped in front of them, their head level with his abdomen, seeing those glorious tattoos up close and personal. Andy wanted so badly to just lean in, close the distance between them, and let their tongue trace those bright lines across the warm flesh they were inked onto. It was a near thing and their hands clenched slightly into fists with the effort to hold themselves back.

“That can be arranged if that’s what you really want.” Bash’s voice had gone lower, dropping a few octaves to take on a deeper resonance. Then he was dropping down to kneel in front of Andy, putting their faces level with each other and leaving very little space between them. “Is that what you want, Andy?”

“Yes.” The answer came in the form of a whisper, briefly uttered, yet carrying so much weight. Then the thought of talking became irrelevant when Bash leaned in and pressed his lips to Andy’s. He gave them ample time to stop him, but Andy wouldn’t have dreamed of doing so. The kiss sent a thrill through them. It was soft and gentle, almost careful, like Bash was testing the waters.

When Andy offered no resistance, the second kiss came, deeper than the first. Andy wasn’t sure when their eyes had closed, but they felt Bash’s hands going to their waist, one warm and rough where it met their skin. The other was smooth and cool, metallic. They allowed Bash to pull them closer still, eliminating the remaining space between them. Andy’s arms went around his neck and they let him take the lead.

Heated, fervent kisses followed, breath coming faster and hearts beginning to race. Bash kissed them like he’d been wanting to do so for the longest time, his kisses eager and deep as he held Andy firmly against him. Soft little sighs and moans were coaxed from them, lost in those kisses. More came when they felt Bash’s hands begin to explore. The glow of their skin became brighter against Bash’s.

Andy was lifted from the chair shortly after, carried over to their bed where they were laid on their back. Bash lingered above them, a bit breathless from their kissing. “Want us both to take off the rest and call it a draw?”

They laughed as he waggled his eyebrows while posing the suggestion, but nodded. “Definitely.”

His hands returned, helping them to remove the remaining garments they wore. One by one, everything was tossed aside, even the binder, leaving Andy bared to his hungry gaze. They shivered as his eyes moved, taking in everything about them. Heat rushed to their cheeks.

“Your turn.” Andy helped in kind, getting Bash out of the rest of his clothes. They didn’t care where anything landed so long as the clothes were all out of their way. Then Bash was just as naked as they were and Andy had absolutely zero regrets when they finally got to see him for the first time. Bash was gorgeous and Andy wanted to explore every part of him.

Then Bash was kissing them again, the warmth of his body covering Andy’s on their bed. They parted their lips to grant him entry immediately, shivering at the slide of their tongues against each other. Andy felt the hard length of him against their hip as their hands dragged over the expanse of his back.

“You sure you’re okay?” Bash asked once they broke the kiss for air. He kept his upper body weight braced on his metal arm for the most part and again, Andy was touched by how considerate he was.

“Definitely,” they murmured, seeing the grin forming on his lips again as he dipped his head for another kiss. This one was brief as Bash had other things in mind. Other destinations. He let his mouth wander, seeking warm flesh and learning all of Andy’s planes and curves. Their nipples were given special attention and Andy couldn’t hold back a quiet groan. 

“Bash,” they groaned his name when their patience wore out. When all they wanted was to feel the hot length of him buried inside of them instead of pressed against them. They wanted, needed, to feel him. “Bash, please.”

“Hang on,” he soothed, pressing soft kisses along Andy’s forehead, cheeks and jawline, shifting his hips so the head of his cock was pressed against their entrance. Andy spread their legs a bit wider, silently urging him on. The first initial press of him slipping inside had them moaning for him once more, their arms wrapped around Bash to keep him close.

He was slow, careful as he slipped into them. Andy felt him shudder from the wet heat of them enveloping his length until he bottomed out inside of them fully. Then Bash held himself still above Andy, buried to the hilt within them. He smiled gently, giving them time to adjust along with more of those soft, sweet little kisses.

“I’m okay,” they told him finally, giving him permission to move whenever he wanted to, but they hoped he was going to start soon. Their eagerness was apparent in the way they held onto him and squirmed beneath him.

“Good.” Bash shifted, starting with a slow rocking of his hips. Andy breathed a soft, contented sigh, their hands sliding up his chest and into his hair so they could pull him down a bit as they sought another kiss from him. It was hotter, firmer, and as they kissed, Bash’s thrusts came faster and deeper.

Andy never wanted it to end. Being with Bash was almost too good to be true. Again and again they moaned for him, clinging and desperate, chasing that pleasure he so willingly gave to their climax. His sounds of pleasure mingled with Andy’s, music to the Tilaari’s ears as he took them, his pace becoming close to frenzied with his thrusts as Andy felt their release getting closer and closer.

It came with an explosion of color behind closed eyelids as Andy’s body arched sharply beneath Bash’s, their orgasm overwhelming them to the point that they couldn’t control the way they writhed or cried out from it. Their nails dug into his skin and Andy didn’t have the capability to feel badly about it. Not at that point. That was a problem for future Andy to deal with.

Bash soon joined them over that edge, a loud groan escaping him as Andy felt the warmth of his release spilling into them with one last deep, firm thrust of his hips. Their breath caught from it before Andy and Bash both slumped on the mattress, panting as their hearts raced. There was a light sheen of sweat on both of their skin and Andy’s was glowing brighter than usual, a sign of just how happy they were.

“Damn,” Bash muttered once he got his breath back, following the word up with a kiss to Andy’s lips. His own were smiling as they met theirs. “Best game of poker ever.”

Andy couldn’t help laughing as their hands gently smoothed over his tattooed skin, tracing the lines with their fingertips. “Agreed. Definitely.”

As they kissed each other again, Andy couldn’t help thinking that perhaps strip poker could become a regular thing between them. If it ended like this round had, Andy was all for it.

**Author's Note:**

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> 
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